Draft mechanism for vehicles.



No. 768,096. PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.

R. UBLTSGHI. DRAFT MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SiJPT. 16, 19 03.

NO MODEL.

WITNESSES: m

I INVENTOR. gzwwml A TTORNE YS No. 768,096. I

Patented August 23, 1904-. I

PATENT OFF CE.

ROBERT UELTSCHI, OF FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY.-

DRAFT MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 768,096, dated, August 23, 1904.

Application filed September 16, 1903. Serial No. 173,390. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT Unnrsonna citizen of the United States, residing at Frankfort, county of Franklin, and, State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Draft Mechanism for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an' improved form of draft mechanism for vehicles which is adapted to serve as asubstitute for the ordinary swingletree heretofore used for connecting the harness-traces with the shafts of a vehicle.

With the ordinary swingletree the load of the vehicle is brought to bear at a single point at or near the center of the swingletree and the draw-bar of the thill, whereby such parts are frequently broken. 1

The object of my-invention is, first, to provide a device by which the draft of the load will be brought .to bear near the thills at or near the respective ends of the drawbar, whereby the strain upon such bar is diminished, and the same may be made lighter than would otherwise be required when used in connection-with the ordinary swingletree, and,sec- 0nd, by the substitution of a connecting-rod and elbow crank-levers to dispense with the swingletree heretofore used for eq ualizing' the draft of the traces upon the vehicle.

1 The construction of my invention is explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a bottom view of a pair of thills provided with my improved form of draft mechanism. Fig. 2 is a detail showing the manner of connecting the elbow crank-le vers with their supporting-brackets, and Fig.

3 is a detail showing a modified form of connecting the elbow crank-levers yieldingly together. V I

Like parts are identified bythe same reference-letters throughout the several views.

A A are the vehicle-thills. B- is a draw-bar.

draw-bar-B and the brace-irons (I, D, and E.

The thills A are connected together by the ends H ofhthe elbow cranklevers are connected together by the rod I and pivotal bolts a a.

J J are the harness-traces, which are re' the elbow crank-lever and the rod I, and said rod I is provided'with a rigidly-affixed collar 0 and a spring P,.which spring is interposed between the collar 0 and the sleeve Qof said.

bracket. 'The oflice of this spring is to hold said rod firmly in place in the sleeve Q and prevent such connecting parts from rattling. It will of course be understood that the bracket N, sleeve Q, and springP may be used at both ends of the connecting-rod I.

To prevent the elbow crank-levers from rattling in their bearings between their supporting brace-irons O and E, I preferably interpose short spiralsprings S S between said elbow crank levers and said brace-irons, as

. shown in Fig. 2, whereby the wear between such parts is taken up by the elasticity of said springs and said parts are prevented from rattling.

While I have shown the connecting-rod I located in front of the draw-bar, said rod is not necessarily located at such point, but may, if desired, be located above, beneath, or in the rear of said draw-bar, as may be found desirable, in which case the location of said elbow cranklevers and supporting bearings is changed accordingly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with the thills and drawbar of a vehicle, of two pairs of diagonallyarranged brace-irons communicating respectively between the respective thills and the draw-bar; a pair of elbow crank-levers pivotally supported from and between said braceirons; a bracket pivotally connected with the rearwardly-extending arms of one of said elbow crank-levers; a transversely-arranged rod slidably connected at one of its ends with said bracket and at its other end with the rearwardly-extending arm of the other elbow crank-lever; a collar rigidly afiixed to said transversely-arranged rod at a slight distance from said bracket; aspiral spring interposed between said collar and bracket upon said rod and means for connecting the opposite ends of said elbow crank-levers with the traces of a harness, all substantially as, and for the pur- 5 pose specified.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT UELTSUHI. Witnesses:

WV. H. HAWKINS, L. C. VVALLAon. 

